Hello,
I’m preparing a macOS app for App Store submission, and I have a question regarding whether including an extra executable inside the app bundle is permitted under the App Store Review Guidelines.
My app would include a command-line tool placed inside the bundle, such as:
- MyApp.app/Contents/MacOS/
- or MyApp.app/Contents/Resources/
The purpose of this tool is to help users collect hardware/system information for troubleshooting or error reporting. Importantly:
- The app never launches this executable automatically.
- It never runs in the background.
- It is intended to run only when the user chooses to run it manually.
The intended workflow is:
- The executable is shipped inside the app bundle.
- When needed, the app simply informs the user where the tool is located.
- The user manually executes it—either by double-clicking in Finder or by running it from Terminal.
- The executable runs independently, and the app does not trigger, spawn, or control the process.
My questions are:
- Is this approach allowed under the macOS App Store Review Guidelines?
- Could this be considered “executing external code,” a sandbox violation, or otherwise lead to rejection during App Review?
- Does App Review allow a tool that is bundled with the app but executed manually by the user outside of the app itself?
Additionally, if there is any official documentation or guideline from Apple that specifically addresses this scenario—or similar restrictions around including executables inside a macOS App Store app bundle—I would greatly appreciate a link.
If anyone has experience with this or knows how App Review typically handles this type of setup, I’d be grateful for any insight.
Thank you!
